Curioblog; unusual gifts, gadgets
and curiosities blog

This USB pendrive is shaped like a ring and comes packaged in an elegant gift box as if it were a diamond engagement ring.

Practical, original and romantic

If you're too geeky to invite your sweetie out for a romantic dinner and propose, but you nevertheless think doing it by email or simply changing your status on Facebook to "married" is a bit cold, here's an idea that combines equal parts of romanticism and technology.

It's called Memo Ring, a pendrive you can use to store and transfer data that looks like pretty and original ring.

This reading lamp is shaped like a house, and its roof is the perfect place to rest your book and leave it open to the page you just read. It's elegant and practical.

Turn your book into a roof for this little house

It's a pretty and original reading lamp with a soft, warm glow that'll keep you company while your read.

When you take a break or finish the day's chapter, just rest the open book on top of the lamp. The lamp doubles as a bookmark, and it'll look like a glowing house with a very original roof... your own book!

This coin purse is a perfect replica of a fortune cookie. Each piece is numbered and made out of recycled leather.

Each piece is numbered and unique

Although you might think fortune cookies were invented in China, the fact is that these sweets first appeared in the US. They became very popular in San Francisco in the early 20th Century. Although in Europe fortune cookies are a lot less common, we are nevertheless familiar with them, thanks in part to their frequent appearances in American films.

Fortune cookies hide a little white strip of paper inside with a proverb or some words of wisdom or advice written on it.

Five different color lights available. You decide how to use them.

Push Pin Light

It’s a simple idea, but it seems pretty practical and especially, curious: push pins with a light! Why didn’t these exist before? Thanks to a Japanese company called Dreams, a new and original desk accessory has been born: it’s called "Push Pin Light".

This pushpin has a built-in battery. To turn on the light, simply push down on top of the pushpin.

Miniature soap bars so tiny that they look like mints have become very popular in Japan.

Soap Tablet

They look like a box of mints, but you’d better not eat any. They’re actually tiny bars of soap. This Dreams product was launched on the market last April.

Often times, when you’re away from home, you want to wash your hands but find there’s no soap. For instance, you might be out at a barbeque, on a picnic, at a music festival, playing in the park with your kids, or simply at a bar or in a restaurant that’s run out of soap...

Start the year off in a very different way with this original calendar. It's a designer poster full of blank faces that you fill in to reflect your mood.

Draw smiley or sad faces... depending on your mood

The calendar has no numbers, days or months on it. Life Calendar is a unique calendar you can start using any day of the year, there's no reason you have to break it out on January 1st. It's a good way to start all over again no matter what day of the year it is.

All you'll find on this DIN A3 poster are 365 yellow and blue circles.

The world's kitschiest solar powered toy is designed to look like the Queen of England. Put the monarch in the sun and she'll wave at you ever so royally... without letting go of her handbag.

Solar powered queen

This solar powered toy is a perfect replica of the Queen of England, right down to the royal hairstyle, sober attire, little handbag and impeccable gloves. It's not just a scale model action figure of the Queen of England, it's also the most bizarre and kitschiest solar powered toy to date.

Just put Elizabeth II near a light source and the little solar panel on her handbag will power up her royal hand which will begin to wave like only a monarch's hands can: without her hand slightly cupped and fingers pressed against each other.

Santa Claus and the Three Kings come from far-away lands, so do these gifts.

Selection of gifts made in Japan

Are you still wondering what to get people for the holidays? Here are some suggestions for products from Japan. If Santa Claus and the Three Kings come from far-away lands, there's no reason gifts can't. Here are a few very original and practical gifts for this holiday season. These gifts have an Asian touch and are sure to be hits:

Sing holiday songs with Otamatone: Do you sing carols and songs at dinner during the holidays? Otamatone will add a special touch to the season's celebrations.

The tackiest accessory of all time is back with a vengeance as a kitsch item. We just love these snowballs designed in Holland.

The most wanted model: a little girl wearing an Eskimo coat

Snowballs had their dark period: there was a time when we all thought they were incredibly tacky, a cheap souvenir, and a grotesque home accessory. Some people still think so, but this decorative accessory is actually incredibly poetic (capable of containing an entire city, with adverse weather conditions, inside), and it's now reclaiming its own sort of revival as far as kitsch items go.

This hat lamp designed by Jake Phipps is an elegant way to light up your living room.

Bowler hat model

Wearing a hat has become less and less common nowadays. And that is certainly a shame, because when we look at photographs of our grandparents, we can see they never left home without covering their heads and it really makes you want to go out and buy a hat and start a new trend.

But if you're not quite that daring, you can instead opt to dress your home up with a classic accessory: a designer lamp shaped like a bowler hat or a top hat and designed by artist Jake Phipps.